Kentucky Wildcats Basketball: The SEC is Theirs to Lose Next Season

By Taylor Sturm

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Wildcats didn’t land 2013 No. 1 NCAA Basketball recruit Anthony Wiggins, but with the players that Head Coach John Calipari brought in and convinced to stay at UK, his decision to go to the Kansas Jayhawks won’t stop Kentucky from achieving the preseason No. 1 ranking and being the favorites to win the SEC. Being the favorites in the SEC is something the Wildcats are getting used to, but their performance last season showcased that everything can change with the absence of one crucial player.

The Wildcats’ biggest competitor at the top of the SEC will be the Florida Gators, who will be relieved to have star forward Patric Young back controlling the paint for their team. Aside from Florida, the Wildcats will be challenged by the experienced Tennessee Volunteers and the upstart young LSU Tigers. The Volunteers are one of the best teams in the conference, but they will have to learn to cope without senior point guard Trae Golden who transferred at the end of the season. The Tigers will have one of the best duos in the country down-low with Johnny O’Bryant III and incoming 5-star recruit Jarrell Martin. The Gators, Volunteers and Tigers will all challenge the Wildcats at the top of the SEC, but Kentucky clearly has the most NBA-star potential on their roster in the conference.

If Kentucky wants to wipe away the disaster that was last season, they must have a strong upcoming year. Calipari’s team has every aspect of another strong season and run to the Final Four, but the SEC is much better than it was last year. The Wildcats must be at the top of their game all season long, because there is nothing an SEC team loves more than beating the best team in the conference – especially if that team is Kentucky.